Sims News

Our friends at SimsVIP already have The Sims 3 Pets and are treating their visitors to a lot of lovely screenshots and videos. Go check it out!

Have a Pet or Be a Pet: The Sims 3 Pets Is Available on Store Shelves Today

Fetch a Copy of the Latest Standalone Release for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo 3DS and Expansion Pack on the PC/Mac

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Let the fur fly! Will you have a pet or be a pet? Now you can play both ways as pets are Sims too! Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) today announced The Sims™ 3 Pets is now available in North America on PlayStation® 3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, Nintendo 3DS™ and as an Expansion Pack on the PC/ Mac*. Developed by the award-winning team at The Sims Studio, The Sims 3 Pets gives players the ability to play as a pet for the first time in franchise history and see The Sims world through their eyes.

Across all platforms, players will be able to use the robust Create a Pet tool to customize dozens of breeds of cats and dogs. On the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC/Mac, players are able to design their pet from their coats, colors and body shapes, and even down to their snouts and age. Players can also choose from a variety of unique personality traits such as friendly, hyper, clueless and piggy, offering limitless opportunities for fans to create the pets of their dreams or nightmares.

"Pets have always been the top requested theme from our players, and we are delivering a deep, rich experience in The Sims 3 Pets for our fans to enjoy," said Scott Evans, General Manager of The Sims Studio. "From the moment a player starts the game, they'll revel in the opportunities to recreate their childhood pet, train their dog to be the most desirable or despicable animal in the neighborhood, share their favorite pet on The Sims 3 Exchange or witness the special lasting relationships their Sims build with their pets. The Sims 3 Pets is about the moments that are unique to the player who lives them."

The Sims 3 Pets also features gameplay experiences specific to each platform. Exclusive to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, players will explore all new venues and embark on mysteries in the New England-style town of Sugar Maple Coast. Karma Powers return to the console games and give players the ability to bestow wealth on their Sim or completely uproot their lives. New Karma Powers include: Transmogrify that allows a Sim, cat or dog to turn into a different species; Meteor Strike that drops space rocks from the sky; Feral Possession which turns players' pets into furry terrors; and more. Exclusive to the Xbox 360, players who are Kinect-enabled can use voice commands to quickly jump between areas of Create a Sim and live mode to change outfits, fulfill the needs of both their Sims and pets and more.

In The Sims 3 Pets PC/Mac Expansion Pack, players are able to create and adopt dogs, cats and, another first for the franchise, horses. Fans are able to take their Sims and their pets on wild adventures while exploring the new world with animal-specific venues and environments such as the dog park, cat jungle or horse stables. Another exclusive to the PC/Mac version, players will be able to search through their world for the elusive unicorn. The magical unicorn can be added to a player's household after they've built up the relationship enough. Unicorns offer fun opportunities to play with life by being able to bless other Sims, teleport around the world and even spark fires. Other minor pets that Sims can own and interact with, but are not fully controllable, include birds, rodents, lizards, turtles and snakes.

Unique to the Nintendo 3DS version of The Sims 3 Pets, players can now create, customize and control a household full of pets without any human Sims. In addition, players will be able to save up to three separate games, each with its own household of three playable Sims. Through gameplay, players can add a fourth member to their household. The Sims 3 Pets on Nintendo 3DS lets fans use Play Coins collected from the Nintendo's 3DS pedometer feature to spend as Karma Power points. Additionally, players will be able to use Nintendo's StreetPass™ function to share their Sims and pets with other Nintendo 3DS users in near vicinity.

The Sims 3 Pets is rated "T" for Teen, with an MSRP of $49.99 on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and $39.99 on Nintendo 3DS and PC/Mac.

The Sims 3 Plus Pets is also available on PC/Mac and bundles The Sims 3 base game and The Sims 3 Pets Expansion Pack with an MSRP of $49.99.

For more information, visit http://www.thesims3.com/content/en_US/promo/pets/pets.htm, like the game on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. For more information on The Sims 3, visit http://www.thesims3.com/.

*Requires The Sims 3 for PC/Mac to play.

The next couple of weeks EA will send us these 'community packs' which contain info and screenshots. This week you can learn about Horse Care, Riding, Equestrian Centres and Pet Behaviour! Click Read More below to continue reading!

Horse Care, Riding, Equestrian Centres and Pet Behaviour

Equestrian Centres:

Check out the horses for sale! Each one comes with a unique look and special traits. If you don't see one to your liking then check back soon, they get new horses all the time! The better the horse, the more you'll have to pay. Of course this can work to your advantage as well... If you've got a top notch horse to offer, you can make big bucks selling it here.
So now you have a horse and you're wondering what to do with it. How about some competitions! Start off by attending a riding class to learn all about the riding skill. As you advance and your horse trains their jumping and racing skills, more competitions will open up at the equestrian centre. These competitions are a great way to see just how well horse and rider have bonded, as well as making a little money on the side. Alternatively, just come watch a competition with friends and family for a fun social outing!

Horse Care:

Horses are fine creatures but need a lot of care. Before your new horse arrives make sure you have a box stall, water trough, and enough hay to survive. Your new pet may need some companionship. Make sure you spend time with your pet and socialize with them. Horses especially enjoy running and jumping. 'If you fail to take care of your new horse, the social worker will be back to take your pet away. So make sure to tend to the needs of your pet and develop a relationship with them.

Riding:

The riding skill encompasses both a Sim’s ability to ride horses and to train them. Its purpose is to reward horse lovers for their devotion to their equine friends. As the riding skill improves, new interactions appear for Sims.
There are a few ways to gain riding skill. You can start off by reading riding books which can be purchased from your local bookstore, or you can also attend riding classes at the equestrian centre. If your Sim is more of a hand on type of Sim, you can immediately learn riding by getting on your horse and begin riding around town. Other interactions like train for jumps or train for racing also increase riding skill.
Riding a horse is a great new way to travel, but unlike Sims they cannot travel everywhere. Horses are not able to walk up or down stairs, use the elevators, or walk through doors. If a Sim riding a horse is commanded to go to a location that they cannot travel to, the horse will route to the furthest location they possibly can and the Sims will dismount and continue towards the destination.
When Sims are riding a horse, there are certain interactions they can perform without the need to dismount. Interactions with a horse or Sim icon in the interaction menu denotes that Sims will stay mounted and perform that interaction. Any interaction that does not have the horse or Sim icon will push the Sim to dismount the horse before performing that interaction.
Not all horses are willing to listen to their masters from the get go. Horses who have the untrained trait require a higher relationship with Sims before they will allow them to saddle or ride them. The more time the Sims spend riding or saddling the horse the faster the horse becomes trained.

Pet Behaviour:

Pets behave in many different ways that certain Sims may or may not approve of. Through reinforcement, you can shape the behaviour of your pets over time. Certain actions that your pets perform can be reinforced through praise. In doing so, your pet will begin to learn that its behaviour is acceptable. If behaviour that is related to a specific trait is praised enough, your pet will eventually be trained to adopt that trait.
Any actions that your pet can be praised for can also be subject to a good scolding. If you feel that your pet's behaviour is unacceptable, scolding can make your pet acknowledge that it is behaving badly. Eventually, your pet may even learn to rid itself of certain traits that encourage its bad behaviour.

The next couple of weeks EA will send us these 'community packs' which contain info and screenshots. This week you can learn about hunting, taking care of pets and fleas! Click Read More below to continue reading!

Hunting, Dog and Cat Care and Fleas!!

Hunting:

Sims can train dogs to learn the hunting skill by selecting the train to hunt interaction. Make sure to include some play time in between training sessions as dogs can quickly become fatigued while being trained.
Dogs with the hunting skill can use the dig up interaction on dig spots located throughout the world. The higher the hunting skill the dog has the higher chance they’ll find rare collectibles like rocks, gems, metals, or even fragments of skeletons and sculptures!
Sims can command their dogs that have the hunting skill to fetch a date for them on community lots that have at least one other single Sim of your Sim’s gender preference on it! All of your dog’s hunting skill stats and skill achievements are tracked and can be referenced in the hunting skill journal.
Cats are natural born hunters! Practice hunting on cat toys found in the pet toy crate to build your cat’s hunting skill. Cats can catch a variety of animals – beetles, birds, lizards, rodents, snakes, and turtles. In order to locate these critters in the world, use the locate prey interaction in the hunting menu available after building up enough hunting skill points. This will take you into map view and show a map tag of where to find prey of that type. Cats can also stalk for prey anywhere they are outside. Just select the ground and give it a try.
Sims can instruct their feline friends to catch prey by asking them to go catch something, or go catch a specific animal. Though they try their best, there is always the chance the cat might not understand and will bring back something completely different.
Once a cat finds a suitable critter to pounce, they stalk and then get into a fight with it! If the cat wins, the critter can be found in their inventory. Animals that cats catch can be kept by Sims as pets in the appropriate terrarium. Cats can also hunt fish with the go fish interaction on ponds and oceans.

Dog and Cat Care:

Before your cat or dog arrives, make sure you have the essentials to keep your pet happy. Cats and dogs will need pet bowls, beds, or splurge on a pet house if your wallet can afford it. In buy mode under the kid's room you will find pet essentials. Additional pet objects are available in the pets sort under sort by function.
If your cat or dog starts to get squirmish, make sure you take them outside. They may need to potty! Cats can potty indoors if you purchase a litter box. New cats and dogs need attention, so make sure you socialize with them and maybe teach them a trick or two. They can also become destructive at times, so reward them with a toy to keep them happy and having fun. If you fail to take care of your new cat or dog, the social worker will be back to take your pet away. So make sure to tend to the needs of your pet and develop a relationship with them.

Fleas:

Aargh, fleas! These annoying pests are originally contracted by pets who spend an extended period of time outdoors. They make your skin itch and totally kill your mood. 'If you spot a pet with fleas you'll want to avoid them - coming in contact means there's a chance the fleas could spread to you! 'If you spot a pet with fleas you'll want to avoid them - coming in contact means there's a chance the fleas could spread to you!
After a soothing flea bath, your pet can roam outdoors worry free for a period of time. The medicine is still at work and will help protect you from contracting fleas again while it lasts. A quick spray from the Pet Hygienator is also a great way to stay flea free!